My skin is notorious for stress breakouts, so concealer and foundation has become my typical standard. If I get anything on my face in the morning, it’s concealer. I use a concealer that also has acne-fighting components in the hope that I wont have to use quite as much concealer tomorrow. I follow up the concealer with a light foundation, but I still dont cover my whole face. Instead I focus on problem areas, red spots, and dark circles under my eyes (the occasional late college nights are starting to catch up to me.)

A fresh face is like a canvas. 🙂

Eyes:

Again, I have two looks for this one. My average, everyday look is eyeliner and mascara. I have very narrow eyes, so I love anything that can make them look a bit wider. A tip I picked up is to only line the top lid halfway, and make the line a bit thicker at the end.

Basic eye makeup

When I want to dress things up a bit, I’ve learned a nice smoky eye effect (via Molly Bowen, fashion muse) to make my eyes pop a little extra.

Smoky eye: Step 1

Adding to the basic liner/mascara combo, put deep brown shadow on the lid, keeping it below the crease. Put gold shadow above it, blending where the two meet.

Smoky eye: Step 2

Lips:

I don’t own lipstick. Instead, I have developed a love for lip stains. They last longer, and have the pigmentation of a lipstick without the shine of a gloss. The downside to these is that they tend to dry out my lips.

So the general lip routine is pink lip stain, let it set for 30 seconds, then follow up with a lip balm ( I love Nivea’s Kiss of Moisture or Kiss of Milk and Honey) For special occasions, or when I want to feel like a bombshell, I switch things up with a rich red lip stain. If I want a little extra shine, I put lip gloss to top it all off, but it tends to disappear quickly.

Still love your lip gloss or lipstick? Exfoliate your lips with a toothbrush or damp paper towel before applying. Apply a first coat, then blot. Apply another later. Your color should last longer and stay looking great.

The full look

Got any foolproof makeup tips? What makeup can’t you leave the house without? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter!